By HOWARD BECK
Published: August 20, 2008
John Gabriel, a former N.B.A. executive of the year with the Orlando Magic, has joined the Knicks’ revamped front office and will assume a major role in rebuilding the roster after seven straight losing seasons.

Donnie Walsh, the team president, appointed Gabriel as the director of pro scouting and free agency, a newly created position. Gabriel’s primary duty will be evaluating current N.B.A. players, with an eye toward future trades and free-agent signings.

Gabriel is well versed in the art of rebuilding. He was the Magic’s general manager from 1996 to 2004, a period in which the franchise lost Shaquille O’Neal to free agency and traded Penny Hardaway, but restocked by obtaining Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady.

Gabriel was named executive of the year in 1999-2000 after orchestrating 37 transactions that netted nine first-round draft picks and created the salary-cap space to sign Hill and McGrady.

After being fired in March 2004, Gabriel joined the front office of the Portland Trail Blazers, who have undergone a transformation that the Knicks surely hope to emulate. Once saddled with a bloated payroll and a roster of bad actors, the Blazers are now one of the most promising young teams in the league.

Also joining the Knicks’ front office is Misho Ostarcevic, who will be the director of player personnel. Ostarcevic was Walsh’s international scout with the Pacers.

Gabriel and Ostarcevic were hired earlier this month, although the team did not announce the moves. Walsh was not available for comment Wednesday.

Gabriel, reached by phone at his home in Winter Park, Fla., called the opportunity to work for Walsh and the Knicks an honor.

Walsh has probably completed his executive staff. Glen Grunwald, the senior vice president for basketball operations, is the lone holdover from Isiah Thomas’s administration.

Brendan Suhr, who was Thomas’s director of player personnel, was dismissed last month

Aug 22, 2008, 00:39

EddieCurrysCancer

next best thing to having a young Trailblazers squad is having the guy that got them there

lets see if this gets the ball rolling on roster changes before the regular season

Aug 22, 2008, 07:49

Kiyaman

Why was'nt these guys hired before the 2008 draft when we could've used their input the most to get another draft pick, or start the big NBA trading in the offseason off with the Knicks 23 win season players.

I still believe that none of the teams that had picks from 1 to 15 in the 2008 draft was going to waste their pick on a unheard of 19 year old Euro Player "Gallinari" that might not leave Italy for another two years.
The Knicks could've worked out a trade deal for one of their 6 cancer players or just trade a proven young player (Balkman) in a trade to a team to select Gallinari in the late first round to trade his rights to the Knicks.

Aug 22, 2008, 08:12

Toons

yo kiyahman, give it a rest, we all know u dont support the gallinari pick, ur saying the same thing in almost every thread concearning offseason moves....give us sum insight or somehting different.
btw, gallinari was projected 6th pick on most mock drafts.

Aug 22, 2008, 08:17

abcd

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toons

yo kiyahman, give it a rest, we all know u dont support the gallinari pick, ur saying the same thing in almost every thread concearning offseason moves....give us sum insight or somehting different.
btw, gallinari was projected 6th pick on most mock drafts.

Gallinari was projected #6, because he said that the only teams he would play for are the Knicks or the Nets. Some drafts projected him at #10, too, because the Nets had the 10th pick. He was ranked at #1, for small forwards, on draftexpress, though. I don't know if he really is, since a lot of people like Joe Alexander. I don't know too much about Alexander, though.

Aug 22, 2008, 08:40

Kiyaman

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toons

yo kiyahman, give it a rest, we all know u dont support the gallinari pick, ur saying the same thing in almost every thread concearning offseason moves....give us sum insight or somehting different.
btw, gallinari was projected 6th pick on most mock drafts.

The mock draft changed after the Knicks hired coach D'Antoni.
Do your B-Ball Homework.
Before the Ping-Pong balls was dropped look at the mock-draft of first 20 players to be drafted in the 2008 draft, and see if Danilo Gallinari name was in any made by the NBA analyst.

Aug 22, 2008, 08:50

GetRealistic

Kiya is the king of changing the wording and posting the same thing over and over and over.

We get it your three main points

You don't like Walsh
You don't like D'Antoni
Your obsessed with Summer League

Aug 22, 2008, 08:58

abcd

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiyaman

The mock draft changed after the Knicks hired coach D'Antoni.
Do your B-Ball Homework.
Before the Ping-Pong balls was dropped look at the mock-draft of first 20 players to be drafted in the 2008 draft, and see if Danilo Gallinari name was in any made by the NBA analyst.

You're right. The Knicks were originally projected to draft either Eric Gordon, DJ Augustin, or Brook Lopez, prior to when D'Antoni was hired as coach. D'Antoni had a lot of influence on the drafting of Gallinari. This is the last thing I will say about the pick, on this thread, though. I don't want to change the topic of the thread.

I like the John Gabriel move, it obviously takes pressure of Donnie Walsh to make free agent decisions. But being that Gabriel was once Executive of the Year and was around when the Magic and Blazers were in tough spots and came out good in the end, I'm eager to see him work with this team. The Knicks are by far in worse shape than both the Magic and Trailblazers were, both teams landed all star players in Brandon Roy and Dwight Howard so I'm guessing getting draft picks will be pushed more with a guy like Gabriel. I'm seeing now why Walsh would give up Balkman for a pick and will probably want picks in return for guys like Zach.